Instead of discussing the finer points of their father-son sci-fi thriller After Earth (in theaters May 31), Will Smith and his son have spent the past week fielding questions about Jaden's reported emancipation plans.
The costars first debunked the rumors during a joint appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show May 15. "See, here's the thing that you need to understand: I'm not going anywhere," Jaden told the 55-year-old talk show host. "The thing that people don't get is everything at this house is free! So I can get anything and everything at his house, so I'm going to be there 20, 30 more years."
In a May 19 Entertainment Tonight interview, Kylie Jenner's 14-year-old boyfriend admitted he "wasn't aware" of the emancipation rumors until the After Earth press tour began. "I didn't know what was going on 'cause I don't really go on the Internet except for going on Tumblr," Jaden said. "I totally wasn't aware at all of anything."
Will added, "We try to avoid that type of stuff. It's not true and we look at that type of information as, like, bad fuel."
The emancipation rumors began after Will was quoted by overseas press as saying Jaden wanted to be freed from the legal guardianship of his parents. The 44-year-old explained that he made a joke in Tokyo that was taken out of context and blown out of proportion. "He's never leaving me, ever," Jada Pinkett Smith's husband told DeGeneres. "No emancipation for the Smith kids."
Being born into one of Hollywood's most famous families has its perks, but it also comes with intense scrutiny. When asked if he feels compelled to follow in his parents' footsteps, Jaden told Entertainment Tonight, "I just don't feel the pressure of having to make people happy. That's really what pressure is. You're just hoping that people accept you. So, I really don't care what people think about me."
